Since 26 February 2025 every talent-scheme applicant — including each dependant — pays a HK$600 application fee upfront and a two-tier issuance fee (HK$1,300 for stays over 180 days) on approval.
Overview
Hong Kong visa pricing changed fundamentally on 26 February 2025, when the Immigration Department (ImmD) brought ten talent and investment admission schemes under a new fee structure as 'specified schemes' for the purposes of Schedule 2 of the Immigration Regulations (Cap. 115A). Under that structure, every applicant — the principal and each dependant separately — pays a non-refundable application fee of HK$600 when the application is lodged, and a visa issuance fee on approval: HK$1,300 where the permitted stay exceeds 180 days, or HK$600 where it does not. The specified schemes include the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS), General Employment Policy (GEP), Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP), Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS), Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG), the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES), the Technology Talent Admission Scheme and the Vocational Professionals Admission Scheme. The same two fees apply again at every extension of stay. Visas are issued electronically as an 'e-Visa' once the issuance fee is paid online. Verified against immd.gov.hk as of June 2026.
What the Main Routes Cost (Specified-Scheme Fee Structure, from 26 February 2025)
Each applicant — including each accompanying dependant — pays the application fee on lodging and the issuance fee on approval. Because all the initial stays below exceed 180 days, the higher issuance tier applies.
| Scheme | Initial stay | Application fee | Visa issuance fee | Total per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTPS Category A (income ≥ HK$2.5M) | 36 months | HK$600 | HK$1,300 | HK$1,900 |
| TTPS Categories B and C (eligible-university graduates) | 24 months | HK$600 | HK$1,300 | HK$1,900 |
| QMAS — General Points Test | 36 months | HK$600 | HK$1,300 | HK$1,900 |
| QMAS — Achievement-based Points Test | 8 years | HK$600 | HK$1,300 | HK$1,900 |
| GEP (employer-sponsored professionals) | 36 months or contract length, whichever shorter | HK$600 | HK$1,300 (HK$600 if stay ≤ 180 days) | up to HK$1,900 |
| IANG (non-local graduates) | 24 months | HK$600 | HK$1,300 | HK$1,900 |
| New CIES (HK$30M investment) | per scheme rules — see newcies.gov.hk | HK$600 | HK$1,300 for stays over 180 days | up to HK$1,900 |
How Payment Actually Works
- Application fee is upfront and non-refundable: The HK$600 application fee is paid when the online application is submitted. ImmD will not start processing until it is received, and it is not refunded in any circumstance — refusal, withdrawal or cancellation included. Paying it gives no guarantee of approval.
- Issuance fee only on approval: The notification of an approved result includes a payment link for the visa issuance fee. The fee tier depends on the 'relevant period': more than 180 days = HK$1,300; not more than 180 days = HK$600.
- Payment channels: Credit card (VISA, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB), Payment by Phone Service (PPS), the Faster Payment System (FPS), or Mainland e-wallets (Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay App), via the payment link, the GovHK website or the ImmD mobile app.
- e-Visa: After payment the visa is downloaded as an electronic 'e-Visa'. On arrival you present your travel document and scan the e-Visa's encrypted QR code (on your phone or printed on A4 paper) at the immigration counter.
- Extensions cost the same again: Each extension of stay under a specified scheme attracts a fresh HK$600 application fee plus the two-tier issuance fee based on the length of the extension. For extensions, you must be physically present in Hong Kong at the time of application and at payment/collection of the e-Visa.
- Applications lodged before 26 February 2025: charged under the old fee structure regardless of when they are approved or the e-Visa is collected.
Other Government Fees to Budget For
- Hong Kong identity card — free: First registration for a HKID at a Registration of Persons Office costs nothing for new arrivals.
- Degree verification (TTPS/QMAS): Categories B and C of the TTPS and QMAS require verification proof of academic qualifications from a third-party credential verification organisation or the awarding institution — verification providers charge their own fees (ImmD publishes the list of accepted organisations).
- HKCAAVQ qualifications assessment: Where a formal assessment of a qualification is needed for QMAS, the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications charges HK$3,860 per assessment from 1 April 2026.
- Apostille on Hong Kong documents: HK$125 per document from the Registrar of the High Court, if a destination authority asks you to authenticate Hong Kong-issued documents.
- Certificate of No Criminal Conviction: HK$283 from the Hong Kong Police Force — only relevant when another country's authorities require it, since ImmD does not issue or require this for entry to Hong Kong.
- Other visa types: Visit, student and other non-specified-scheme applications follow ImmD's general Fee Tables — check the current schedule on immd.gov.hk before applying.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Top Talent Pass or QMAS application actually cost in 2026?
HK$1,900 per person for the standard case: a HK$600 application fee paid when you lodge the online application, plus a HK$1,300 visa issuance fee on approval (the higher tier applies because TTPS initial stays of 36 months for Category A and 24 months for Categories B and C, and the QMAS 36-month initial stay, all exceed 180 days). Every accompanying dependant pays the same two fees on their own application. The fees follow the specified-scheme structure introduced on 26 February 2025 under Schedule 2 of the Immigration Regulations (Cap. 115A).
Is the application fee refunded if my visa is refused or I withdraw?
No. ImmD states explicitly that the HK$600 application fee is non-refundable in any circumstance irrespective of the application result — that includes refusal, withdrawal and cancellation — and that collecting the fee does not constitute any guarantee or assurance that the application will be approved. The visa issuance fee, by contrast, is only ever charged once an application has been approved, so a refusal costs you the application fee alone (per applicant, including any dependants who applied).
Do my spouse and children pay fees too?
Yes. Under the specified-scheme fee structure, the principal applicant and each dependant are each required to pay the HK$600 application fee on lodging and the corresponding visa issuance fee on approval. Because dependants' limits of stay are normally linked to the sponsor's — typically well over 180 days — each dependant usually pays the HK$1,300 issuance tier as well. A family of four applying under the TTPS should therefore budget around HK$7,600 in government fees for the initial visas alone.
What is the two-tier issuance fee and which tier will I pay?
On approval you pay HK$1,300 if the 'relevant period' of your visa exceeds 180 days, or HK$600 if it does not. For a first visa with a fixed limit of stay, the relevant period is simply the period stated on the visa — 36 or 24 months under the talent schemes, so HK$1,300. For extensions, it is the length of the extension granted; for changes of condition, it runs from the day after you pay to the last day of your limit of stay. ImmD publishes worked examples on its specified-schemes page.
How do I pay and receive the visa?
Everything is electronic. You pay the application fee within the online application on GovHK. When approved, the result notification contains a payment link for the issuance fee; you can pay there, on GovHK or in the ImmD mobile app using credit card (VISA, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB), PPS, FPS or Mainland e-wallets (Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay App). You then download the e-Visa immediately and present it — on your phone or printed on A4 paper — with your passport at arrival, where its QR code is scanned. For extension applications you must be physically in Hong Kong at payment and collection.
What will extensions cost me over the seven years to permanent residency?
Each extension application under a specified scheme costs HK$600 plus the issuance fee — normally HK$1,300, since talent-scheme extensions typically run two to three years (TTPS extensions are 'not more than three years', QMAS follows a 3+2 pattern, and top-tier earners can receive five- or six-year extensions). So a TTPS Category A entrant reaching the seven-year right-of-abode threshold typically pays HK$1,900 initially and HK$1,900 at one extension — roughly HK$3,800 per person — before applying for the right of abode after seven years of continuous ordinary residence.